How to Master Goal Setting for the New Year

Martinus Evans, a fat man running and author of 300 Pounds and Running Podcast

What’s up Goal Crushers,

Happy 2018!

:: shoots confetti gun and sips on brown liquor:

If you’re like me you couldn’t wait to say so long to 2017 and say what up doe to 2018! Usually, this is time for setting New Year’s Resolutions.

I don’t do resolutions.

Because the word “resolution” means something that you’re going to give up on by April…

….and forget about it until November. I’m not fond of that type of mindset but I digress.

As the residential Goal Crusher, I set goals and more specific I set S.M.A.R.T.Y goals. While I usually do my hardcore goal setting on my birthday. This year Mrs. 300PAR, my friend Santini, and I did an intense evaluation and goal setting session.

I wanted to share this with you all because this method provided us with crystal clear clarity on our goal. As well as give us a way to track them and crush them. So this exercise makes you think about your goals in seven domains: 1) Financial, 2) Social, 3) Cultural, 4) Sexual, Relationship or Intimacy, 5) Physical, 6) Spiritual and 7) Professional.

The goal setting exercises consist of three sessions. The exercise starts with a 5-minute writing prompt to get those creative juices flowing. Some of the questions we had were: 1) Write the first five lines to a children book, 2) If you were a superhero, what would be your name and your superpower, and 3) What are four things that keep you healthy and why. After the creative writing exercise, we talk about our answers for a few minutes then went into the evaluation and goal setting session.

For the evaluation and goal setting exercise, you get addition 5 minutes to write an answer to questions about the specific domain that you working on. The questions are:

Year Evaluation

  • What strengths or things that you did well in this domain for the past year?
  • What weakness or things that you didn’t do well in this domain or need to work on for the past year?
  • What are some things that annoy you or things you DO NOT want people to talk to you about in regards to the domain?
  • What are some things you DO want people to talk to you about in regards to this domain?

Goal Setting

  • Overall goal or goal(s) that you want to accomplish before the year is over. (If your goals don’t work on bettering your weaknesses, there is disconnect on what you feel like you need to improve on from the last and what you want to improve. Ask yourself why is this happening?)
  • First quarter goals or things you want to accomplish in the first three months of the year that will help you in completing your goal for the year.
  • Second quarter goals or things you want to accomplish in the second quarter of the year that will help you in completing your goal for the year.
  • Third quarter goals or things you want to accomplish in the third quarter of the year that will help you in completing your goal for the year.
  • Fourth quarter goals or things you want to accomplish in the fourth quarter of the year that will help you in completing your goal for the year.

After the 5 minutes are up, we discussed the specific goals. Then asked further questions to fine tune each goal and how we can help keep each other accountable with those goals. To give you some inspiration to try this method yourself. Below you will find what I put down for the physical domain of goal setting.

Martinus Evans Physical Evaluation

Strengths: As most of you know I have some Achilles issues for most of 2017. Something that I will call a strength or something that I felt I did good was that I tried multiple methods to help my Achilles heal. I did things like Ultrasound Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Phototherapy/PRP Therapy. I listen to my body and did not do anything that would cause more injury. That also meant deferring The New York City Marathon to 2018 even though my Achilles was around 90% and I was feeling good about running. With all that said, I did pick up a new sport to help me stay active during my downtime of not running. That was cycling which is equally addictive to running and much more expensive. Cycling has given me the same excitement that I had when I started running.

Weaknesses: Something that I needed to work on 2017 as I gain a significant amount of weight back. I’m assuming that the weight also prolonged healing my Achilles injury.

Some things I don’t want people to talk to me about in regards to the physical domain: I wish people would stop talking to me about how fat I am and how running will mess up my knees. I’ve been running since 2012 and my knees are fine.

Things I want people to talk to me about in regards to the physical domain: I want people to talk to me about upcoming races. Also talk to me about gear, more specifically cycling gear. My ass and sometimes my nuts hurts from riding. I know it’s because I haven’t found the right saddle for me (and before you ask, yes, I got a bike fit). I would say finding a saddle that’s comfortable to me is my biggest barrier to cycling now. Also, give me positive affirmations to help me move my body as much as possible. Lastly, talk to me about what it takes to train for an Ironman, or a triathlon, or a duathlon, along with talking to me about running and cycling in general.

Martinus Evans Goals for 2018

First quarter goals: My first quarter goals are to find races to sign up for so I’m thinking 5Ks, 10K, Half Marathons and Full Marathon. My second goal is to find a saddle that does not hurt my ass or my nuts #HelpMyAss. My third goal is to find a beginner race to sign up to ride. My fourth goal is to start beginner cycling program to train for my race.

Second-quarter goals: First goal is to races and get medals! The second goal is to start and complete a 30-day push-up, sit-up, plank, and squat challenge.

Third-quarter & Four-quarter goals: Lose at least 50 pounds, compete at least two century rides, and NYC marathon.

There you have it Goal Crushers this is how you properly evaluate the previous year and set goals for this year. What do you guys think about this method? Is this something that you would like to try? If so, I have a treat for you! Sign up below you will get a worksheet that will walk you throughout this process.

Get the Goal Setting worksheet

Enter your First Name and Email Address to get the Goal Setting Worksheet

*Your email address is safe with us. We never share your information with anyone.

 

Well there you have it I wish you all nothing but success and prosperity in 2018.

Until next time keep crushing those goals,

-Martinus Evans

Redefining 300 Pounds and Running

300 Pounds and Running

Happy New Year Goal Crushers!!

When I started this blog, I weighed around 350 pounds, my doctor called me fat and told me that I  needed to start walking…Sarcastically I told him yeah I’ll run a marathon and blog about it. Who would have known that interaction would be that aha moment of 300 Pounds and Running. Many asked how I came up with the name it’s because I was literally 300 pounds and I was going to run a marathon.

Now that I’m no longer 350 pounds and I’ve ran my first marathon. The title 300 Pounds and Running shouldn’t be taken literally but more metaphorically for now on…

300 pounds (technically 350 pounds) is a weight in which I hope to never see again. It’s a reminder from which of I came and you know the saying, “You can’t know where you going unless you know where you came from.” That’s true in so many ways….

The “running” portion of 300 Pounds and Running has multiple meanings for me…

The first meaning of running is to move freely or unrestricted, like running water in a stream being able to move no matter what.

Secondly running means actively working (towards my values), like the idiom “up and running”

Lastly running means to go with the flow like, “run with it,” this is comes from growing up in Detroit, MI. where I experienced situations that most people I know didn’t make it out of… To be honest with you all I should be dead, however I took the qualities that I had and “ran with it” to put myself in a better situation.

These three meanings of running show the complexity of me… I hope I’m not going to deep on yall, I’m just trying to keep it real…

This best describes the current state of me…  There is still progress to made in this journey…The name will never change only the meaning…2014 has a lot in store and this is only the beginning…Here’s to New Year!

What do you think of the redefining of 300 Pounds and Running?

Until next time…

If you like what I’m doing please subscribe. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter:@300lbsandrunnin, Like the 300 Pounds and Running Facebook Page, if you are on: Instagram I’m @300PoundsAndRunning, YouTube: 300 Pounds and Running Dailymile: @300lbsandrunnin, and Nike Plus:@300PoundsAndRunning. Lastly I’ve create a group on Facebook called Crushing Goal Together… This is a new support group to help anyone plan, track, and crush goals, be sure to check it out.

What Are Your Fitness Values? Part 2

300 Pounds and Running's fitness values

What’s up goal crushers! In my previous post I discussed my first fitness value and the background of which it came from. Since the New Year is upon us I only see fit to write the rest of my values and make it plain for everyone else to see.

My second fitness value may sound like the first fitness value “To experience life without the restriction of weight,” but it’s totally different; I would say that they go hand in hand with each other. Fitness values #2 is: Not to be restricted by my fitness level.

This value will help me stay in shape once I hit my goal size. Some possible goals that I can see coming from fitness value #2 is running marathons, duathlons, triathlons, mud races, join a flag football league, playing with my kids (when I have some) and going out and dancing all night long… Basically any and everything that will keep me active throughout the years.

Fitness value #3 is not necessarily fitness related but a value nonetheless that is:  To be a source of assistance, inspiration, and motivation for others to move closers towards their fitness values.

Some initial goals that is consistent with this value is to be constantly involved weight loss community and writing blog posts on a more consistent basis (This is something that I struggled with during the semester but I’m actually going to make  a conscious effort to make sure I’m putting out new content on a weekly basis.) I also could see myself doing some coaching, possibly starting my own hashtag and Twitter chats, possibly speaking engagements… The possibilities are endless.

This value to make sure that I help others along the way so I succeed others succeed.

Lastly my fourth fitness value is: To have fun while working towards my other values. I think this one is self-explanatory I don’t want working towards my values to become a chore. This means always being open to try new things.

I think this is a good core group of values for me to have… Ladies and gentlemen 300 PAR is evolving in front of your eyes and there are only good things to come in 2014.

With that said what are your values for 2014?

Until next time

If you like what I’m doing please subscribe. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter:@300lbsandrunnin, Like the 300 Pounds and Running Facebook Page, if you are on: Instagram I’m @300PoundsAndRunning, YouTube: 300 Pounds and Running Dailymile: @300lbsandrunnin, and Nike Plus:@300PoundsAndRunning. Lastly I’ve create a group on Facebook called Crushing Goal Together… This is a new support group to help anyone plan, track, and crush goals, be sure to check it out.

What Are Your Fitness Values?

300 Pounds and Running's fitness values

In the last post I posed the question “What are my fitness values?” And that really got me to thinking…

So I busted out the pen and paper and thought about what people would say about me now at my funereal if I died today (as morbid is it is.. it really helped).  A few things came to mind however I’m not going to discuss them. Then I thought about what I wanted people to say about me when I’m dead. Then came up with some fitness values that are in line with those things. Here are a few things that I came up with:

One of my  fitness values come from life experiences,  all my life I’ve been the biggest person in the room and by being the biggest person in the room there are certain things that I experienced  and that I want to experience but  couldn’t  because of my size.

For example: I remember going to summer camp in the third or fourth grade and not being able to get a camp t-shirt nor  a shirt with my team name on it  because I was the biggest kid there. So when we had team challenges I was always stood out in more ways in one. The only black kid in the camp and I didn’t have shirt.

Not to make this a race thing but you have to understand where I came from…Detroit and the metro Detroit area is of the most segregated places in the U.S.  The city of Detroit was about 99% black, however the surrounding cities were about 1% black and further  you got pass 8 mile, such as 22 mile (yes there is such a thing), that number would be less than 1%.

So when I didn’t get a shirt at camp. I had to question is it because I’m the only black person here or is it because I’m the biggest kid here or is it both? I know now it’s because of my size but as a kid you don’t know and it makes you feel less than worthy either way.

I also remember the last day of camp where we had this obstacle course think Tough Mudder before it was cool. My team was in the lead throughout the race until we got to the last obstacle which was the wall. Being the biggest kid I helped everyone get over the wall but when it was my turn they couldn’t get me over. Eventually our team was disqualified because everyone i.e. me, didn’t make it through all the obstacles. The team blamed me for the loss.